


Ice Cream Shops, Missing Cats, and Tattoed Hearts

by glasses_and_shards



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Best Friends, First Love, Fluff, High School, Hugs, M/M, Mutual Pining, Oblivious, Pining, Pining Akaashi Keiji, Pining Bokuto Koutarou, Promises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:35:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25594381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glasses_and_shards/pseuds/glasses_and_shards
Summary: [Today, 9:03 AM]Bokuto-san: AKAASHI!!! MY CAT WENT MISSING :((...Is he serious? Akaashi is still dazed from sleep. He shuffles around and checks the text again, mumbles a hoarse “of course he is,” and texts him back.I can't believe this. He rises, leaving his still half-filled cup of coffee forgotten.[Today, 9:04 AM]Akaashi: I’ll be there in twenty minutes, Bokuto-san. Please refrain from turning your house upside down.The members of Fukurodani Academy’s boys’ volleyball club agree on just three things.One: they’re strong;Two: their captain and setter are evidently in love; andThree: Bokuto Koutarou and Akaashi Keiji are both completely unaware of this.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji & Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 2
Kudos: 106
Collections: BokuAka Week, Bokuaka, Bokuaka Week 2020





	Ice Cream Shops, Missing Cats, and Tattoed Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, it's me again! I hope you enjoy it !! As always lmk what you think!! 💞 I'm putting this up for Bokuaka Week Day 2!! I'm @_lovingkoushiii on twt, if you ever want to find me! <3

The members of Fukurodani Academy’s boys’ volleyball club agree on just three things.

One: they’re strong;

Two: their captain and setter are evidently in love; and

Three: Bokuto Koutarou and Akaashi Keiji are both _completely_ unaware of this.

* * *

Regular practice matches are not rare sights when it comes to powerhouse schools, much less on weekdays in Fukurodani. The gym was always filled with sounds of volleyballs hitting hands and arms and floors, followed immediately after by cheers and whoops and booming "Hey, hey, hey!"s. 

“Akaashi! Left!”

_Three blockers to the left. Bokuto’s straights are on point today - - - should I toss to him? Konoha-san's on my right. If Bokuto-san doesn't get this, he'll lose morale. If he does, and he gets blocked, he won't be too happy either._

"Akaashi!" He's already jumped, soaring over the block. 

_He’s calling._

And so Akaashi responds, tossing him the ball - higher than the block, to the far edge of the net. _Drive it home, ace._

_Perfect._ Bokuto grins midair - Akaashi catches this, smiling in return - and smashes it past the block, down to the other side of the court. 

_What a beautiful sound._

The whistle blows. Point to Fukurodani. 

Bokuto turns to Akaashi, eyes and smile wide. "AKAASHI! Your toss was amazing!" 

"That straight was very good, too, Bokuto-san." 

"You're the best!" He laughs, carefree. "And coming from me, that's a LOT, you know? The best thinks you're the best! You're, like, the best's best!" 

* * *

Bokuto Koutarou is an enigma. 

He's exclamation points and dramatic flairs and sudden bursts of energy that can light up a whole room. You can't really understand what he wants to say if you aren't Akaashi - Fukurodani recognizes this. 

Akaashi Keiji, however, believes himself plain. 

He's question marks and raised eyebrows and cool logic that shadows Bokuto's light. He truly believes Bokuto ro be amazing, save for his occasional in-game slumps. Even stars fall back to Earth, Akaashi would consider, but he knows that even then, stars would still be exceptionally bright. 

Bokuto doesn't believe Akaashi to be plain. No, not one bit. "Akaashi's just amazing that way!" he would often proclaim, voice booming. 

Akaashi, however, does find an enigma in Bokuto. His antics might strike anyone confused at first glance, but he wasn't unpredictable. He wasn't a mystery more than he was an adventure. 

When it comes to trust, the first voice they'd look out for would be each other's. 

This unyielding and unconditional belief baffles the team to insanity, and so they've simply resorted to letting the duo shower each other with compliments for their own sakes. It used to be amusing, but now that Bokuto's at his final year of high school, the team has grown to pity them. 

A love unrealized is exceedingly painful to watch unfold. 

* * *

"Hey, Akaashi! Nice tosses today!" 

Akaashi turns to find a freshly-showered Konoha waving, catching up to him. He waits until they can walk side by side before he speaks. 

"Thank you, Konoha-san. I could've tossed you that last point, but I gave it to Bokuto-san instead. I'm sorry." 

"No, no, it's fine. He is the ace, after all." Konoha pauses, chuckling. "He called for the toss. This should keep him in a good mood for the next two days, yeah?" 

Akaashi shakes his head, almost solemn. "No, I don't think so." 

"Eh?" 

"A lot of things can happen on weekends."

"Like… what?" 

"His cat going missing, the fridge running out of food, the rain keeping him in - - -" 

"No, no, no. That's highly unlikely." Konoha cuts him off. He didn't sign up for this conversation just to know all of Bokuto's forty weaknesses. Besides, it was really sunny today. 

"Still possible, Konoha-san." 

_Akaashi never lets up._ Konoha sighs, and then he feels a lightbulb go off in his head. He attempts to hold back a grin, steeling himself, speaking with as little enthusiasm as he could. 

"So," he begins, testing the waters. "What are you going to do if something does happen?" Please work, please work, Konoha prays in his head. "Won't that throw us off our game?" 

Akaashi doesn't miss a beat. "I believe he'll get over it, but if he needs me, I'll be there." 

Konoha lets out a laugh, hand reaching for his phone. "Yeah, yeah, he will," he says dismissively, fingers typing the fastest he has ever had to in his life. 

* * *

**[Today, 9:03 AM]  
Bokuto-san: ** AKAASHI!!! MY CAT WENT MISSING :((

 _...Is he serious?_ Akaashi is still dazed from sleep. He shuffles around and checks the text again, mumbles a hoarse “of course he is,” and texts him back. 

_I can't believe this._ He rises, leaving his still half-filled cup of coffee forgotten. 

**[Today, 9:04 AM]  
Akaashi: ** I’ll be there in twenty minutes, Bokuto-san. Please refrain from turning your house upside down. 

* * *

And so Akaashi now stands, twenty minutes later, in front of the Bokuto family home, hair still dripping wet. 

**[Today, 9:24 AM]  
Akaashi: ** Bokuto-san, I’m outside. 

And within seconds, he hears the loudest “HEY HEY HEY” ( _"Bokuto-san hasn’t changed his ringtone yet, I see,"_ Akaashi almost mumbles, still breathless.) followed by heavy footsteps and the wooden door sliding open. 

“Akaashi!” 

Before he could even respond, Bokuto had already thrown his arms around the smaller second-year’s frame. Bokuto still smells of sweat, dressed in the Fukurodani Academy tracksuit. _He must have been running,_ Akaashi thinks, and brings his arms up to return the hug.

He doesn’t mind. Bokuto’s hugs were always warm - he was just a little warmer now because of the exercise. He smiles, allowing his head to rest on Bokuto’s shoulder, just beside his head. 

This goes on for seconds. For minutes. _We can stay like this forever,_ Akaashi all but says. The silence is comfortable - a beautifully safe haven. 

“Good morning, Bokuto-san.” He mutters, eyes still closed. He was, in fact, still sleepy. 

“Akaashi, my cat’s missing!” _Yes, you told me._ His eyes flutter open. 

“The one we adopted?” _Or did you get a new one?_

“The one that looks like Kuroo, yeah! I went out for a run and when I came back, he’s not here anymore.” Bokuto detaches himself from the hug, and Akaashi can see him pout. 

He feels terrible for missing the hug. But it lasted a long while. 

But seeing Bokuto pout was far worse. _He might have been pouting the whole time, Keiji,_ he chastises himself. 

“Have you checked your house?” _Smile for me again._

“I did! But you told me not to turn it upside down so maybe I missed a few places ---” 

“I meant ‘don’t mess up your house’, Bokuto-san.”

“Oh! That’s what turning something upside down means?”

“Metaphorically speaking, yes, Bokuto-san.”

* * *

Minutes later, Bokuto’s in the shower and Akaashi’s scouring the house for traces of a lost cat. The furniture was slightly off in places where Bokuto had checked - couches, beds, tables, seats... even the refrigerator was left askew. 

_He really tried not to flip everything over, huh._ Akaashi laughs to himself. The cat wasn’t home at all, so he decided to make himself useful by nudging the misplaced back into position. 

_The cat could just be roaming,_ he thinks to himself. _Won’t it come back?_

_It’s a stray, though. It will come back to where it came from._

Akaashi's eyes widen. 

“Bokuto-san ---”

“Akaashi! The park!” Bokuto was rushing out the bathroom, plaid shirt still unbuttoned, almost slipping but catching himself with the doorframe just in time. There is both excitement and surprise in his eyes, and you can't tell that he almost tripped merely moments ago. 

Akaashi laughs. “Yeah, I was thinking of that, too.” Bokuto's hair was still down, black and white strands overlapping, and suddenly the room is far warmer than it used to be. Time feels slower. 

“Hey, hey, hey! We’ll find a lost cat today!” 

“Dry your hair first, Bokuto-san," Akaashi attempts to even his voice. "And then we’ll head out.” 

_I'm not used to this. You look…_

“You came here with your hair wet!”

It doesn't suit me as well as it suits you. 

“I was in a rush ---” 

“Akaashi! I’m perfectly fine on my own, you know! I can take care of myself!” 

_Not like that, you can't,_ Akaashi shakes his head, tutting in disapproval. _Besides, I can't see your eyes like this._ He picks up the towel resting around Bokuto's neck, then reaches up to rub his hair dry. His hands brush all the dark clumps of hair away from Bokuto's face, tucking them behind his ears.

He can see Bokuto's eyes now. _Golden._

_So, so close._

He tries to laugh it off. 

“That’s not what your text told me.”

"Akaashi! Let me look cool some time!" 

Bokuto laughs, too, and they laugh, wrapped up and comfortable in their own warm, oblivious bubble. 

Bokuto doesn't even feel his phone buzz in his pocket. 

* * *

"Kuroo! Kuroo!" Bokuto's voice has always attracted a crowd - whether this be in the middle of volleyball tournaments or when he calls out for lost stray cats in the middle of a park at eleven in the morning. People were always staring, and Akaashi had gotten used to dealing with it by now. 

"Bokuto-san, I don't think cats reply when you call their names," he begins, voice even and wary of passersby shooting them glances. 

_Is it working?_

"Eh?" Bokuto quiets down, eyebrows raised in question, as if ready to protest that the cat does, indeed, respond to him. "Maybe that's because you're mean to him, Akaashi!" 

_Okay, let's go with that._

"I am anything but." Akaashi eyes his surroundings, sighing inwardly. The cat didn't like him very much, and besides, he doesn't believe they'll find Kuroo anytime soon. His eyes catch the blue-and-pink striped hood of a familiar shop in his desperation, and he holds his breath - perfect. He stops walking, and Bokuto doesn't even notice this. His eyes are still fixed on branches and shrubs he believes guilty for hiding a cat. 

"Want to get ice cream?" Akaashi's voice breaks Bokuto from his worry-driven reverie. He stops in his tracks, excitement evident in wide eyes, pout still in place. 

_He always looks so silly,_ Akaashi laughs, and Bokuto turns to face him, as if looking for the truth in his words.

Akaashi only takes his hand, dragging him through the all-too familiar park. Late-night strolls, early-morning jogs, and afternoon cat-hunts - this park has witnessed all of these, testament to the love blooming between two volleyball-addicted teenage boys. This place holds witness to all the promises made beneath the shadows of trees on crowded mornings, and to all the tears shed by street lights flickering to life on empty sidewalks. 

Akaashi knows this. 

Bokuto knows this. 

Each promise was a tattoo etched permanently in their hearts, memories they would never dare forget - just like that day they promised to always be there for each other in that ice cream shop. 

One of Bokuto's bigger smiles break through the creases on his forehead - like the sun at dawn - replacing worry with glee. 

_That's right - keep smiling like that._

There was something about Akaashi showing up at his doorstep exactly twenty-four minutes past nine on a Saturday morning that Bokuto found absolutely endearing. 

_Is it because Akaashi always puts up with me?_

He shakes his head. No, no, that can't be it. It must be that promise they made two years ago when he decided to treat Akaashi out after a bad day. He smiles, eternally glad to remember that Akaashi has never let go of that promise. 

_But Akaashi treats me like a kid most of the time,_ he thinks, and just as quickly as he smiles, he pouts, shoving his spoon into his cup. This elicits a reaction from Akaashi, and in that moment, Bokuto is glad Akaashi notices. 

_I'm older than you!,_ he wanted say. _It should be me who's treating you like a kid!_

Oh, he can see it now. He can see himself telling Akaashi off and taking up the position of good, role-model-worthy, third-year captain. He grins. 

Then he frowns. 

_\--- but I don't think that's why Akaashi coddles me a lot._

"Hey, Akaashi…" 

"Yes, Bokuto-san?" He was witness to the rapid change of expressions on Bokuto's face, and this piqued his curiosity. 

"One day, you won't have to coddle me anymore." There was both determination and uncertainty in his words. 

Akaashi blinks. "I'm not coddling you." 

"Babying?" Bokuto tries. _Did I use the wrong word?_

"I'm not babying you either." Akaashi's face was unreadable. 

_Another wrong word._ Blood rises to Bokuto's cheeks. He toys with his spoon, swirling at his ice cream. _I'm sorry for messing up my words all the time._

Seconds pass in silence. The wind blows, leaves rustle, and people talk - louder and louder, until Bokuto could no longer put up with it. Akaashi wasn't going to talk soon, anyway. 

"You know what I mean! I don't know whatever this is, but you've always put up with me like I'm some kid!" He huffs, then shoves the chocolate-clad spoon into his mouth, clearly throwing a tantrum. 

Bokuto's eyes widen, and he stops in his tracks. 

_Oh. That was too much._ Mouth aflame, the cold biting into his teeth and tongue so ruthlessly, the only thing he could do was to peek at Akaashi from the corner of his eyes, hands over his mouth. 

_Akaashi, please don't laugh._

But Akaashi doesn't even attempt to stifle his laughter. Bokuto would've called him out if he could speak through all the chocolate ice cream in his mouth, but it was still freezing, and the cold was working its way into his brain. 

"Maybe I _should_ start babying you." There is laughter in his eyes, and Bokuto smiles in return despite himself. He loves it when Akaashi smiles. Akaashi's always so serious when it comes to volleyball - seeing him outside, sun in his eyes, wind in his hair, and warmth in every possible place it could be… Bokuto was almost glad to have lost his cat. He swallows, the ice cream finally melting itself away, and he could finally laugh, too. 

They walk on, arms swinging side by side, eyes never meeting for more than a second, fingers brushing for barely moments. 

Captain and setter. Partners.

Bokuto sneaks a glance at his best friend - not a shadow behind his back, but a person basking in the glow of the afternoon sun, enjoying his ice cream. 

_You're really beautiful this way,_ he almost says, but something holds him back. 

_Do you know that, Akaashi?_

* * *

It is now thirty minutes past two in the afternoon, and the duo have yet to return home. 

Instead of searching, they've decided to lie down and watch the clouds. They have long since given up on looking for Kuroo, and Bokuto doesn't seem as bothered as Akaashi expected him to be. Akaashi relaxes against the grass. 

As much as Akaashi believed this a far more ideal way of spending a Saturday afternoon, this wasn't his idea. He rolls over to his left, to where Bokuto was - eyes closed, hands on his stomach, peaceful. 

_You look beautiful this way,_ he all but says. _I hope you know that, Bokuto-san._

"I think I should buy you ice cream before matches, Bokuto-san. They seem to cheer you up." 

Bokuto's eyes flutter open, and Akaashi almost hears his captain tell him off in mock-annoyance. 

But he doesn't. 

"Yeah. Let's do this again sometime." Instead, his voice was quiet, very much unlike the Bokuto-san he had spent the last two years with. It felt like he was sharing a secret he had kept to himself for so long - except Bokuto doesn't have any secrets Akaashi doesn't know. 

_Maybe he thinks this is like a game?_

"Hunting for missing cats?" 

_Yeah, just some game._

Bokuto shakes his head. "Walking around." He rolls to his side, facing Akaashi. "I like walking around with you, Akaashi." 

_Oh, but you are far more beautiful like this._

When Akaashi doesn't reply, Bokuto sits up, gaze cast on clouds that never seem to stop moving. The wind blows, and Akaashi almost sees Bokuto's hair fall flat against his face again. 

Akaashi sits up, too. 

"Which cloud are you looking at?" 

"The one that looks like Kuroo." 

"Okay," Akaashi begins, and they stay like this for a while, looking at the same cloud, before Akaashi mumbles a low "now we're looking at the same sky," and Bokuto's heart skips a beat. 

They didn't dare look at each other. 

Their warm, oblivious bubble was about to pop, and perhaps they knew this, somewhere in the corners of their tattooed hearts. Trees, flowers, and streetlights huddle together, ready to witness the birth of a new promise. 

"Yeah. Let's do this again," Akaashi answers, breathless. "I like looking at skies with you." 

"You promise?" Bokuto's voice was weak, and for the first time in his life, Akaashi finds Bokuto the most vulnerable he has ever been. 

So Akaashi stretches out his hand, pinky sticking out from a closed fist. "I promise." 

Bokuto finds it in himself to smile as he interlocks his pinky with Akaashi's, and it feels like he finally sees how green his partner's eyes were. _Evergreen,_ Bokuto thinks. 

_And so, so close._

"Hey, Akaashi, have your eyes always been this green?" Something about his smile felt softer, less like the sharp grins he'd shoot at his team after successful spikes. 

Akaashi tries to laugh it off. "Well, I wouldn't know, it's been getting hard to see lately - - -" 

"I bet they'd still look beautiful under glasses." Bokuto is relentless - he doesn't know why he's showering Akaashi with compliments, but he does know that Akaashi deserves every good word and every good thing in this world. 

Akaashi could only blush and look away. _Not as good as your eyes would,_ he thinks, but he could never say this. 

Bokuto reaches out to cup Akaashi's face with his free hand, the other still locked with Akaashi's pinky, and it was unlike any warmth he has ever felt - skin-tingling, blush-inducing, and breathless warmth. Bokuto can feel Akaashi inhale sharply, attempting to steady himself. His own heartbeat is racing, urging him to speak, but he feels like he can't - _Not yet. I can't end this moment just yet._

_We can stay here forever, Akaashi, looking at the same sky. Won't you say the same?_

"They'd still be the most beautiful green I will ever see," he whispers, terrified of saying anything that could suck out all the magic in his touch and these words and this promise. 

_Ah,_ Bokuto smiles, but it was tinged with a sadness Akaashi could understand all too quickly. _I think I messed up._

He was about to withdraw his hand when Akaashi finally leans into his touch, free hand coming up to hold his. His pinky lets go of Bokuto's, opting instead to hold his hand - as if breaking an old promise and reinstating a new one. 

Bokuto's heart lurches to his throat. He pulls Akaashi's hand to his lips, kissing his knuckles. His lips linger, and it feels like a new haven to him. Beautiful, but unsafe. Terrifying, but irreplaceable. 

In that moment, their warm, oblivious bubble pops, and they can finally see each other. 

Not just captain and setter. Not just partners. 

Best friends - _and the person I have definitely fallen in love with._

"Stay with me?" Bokuto asks, still quiet. He would never dare admit it. Not now. 

Akaashi could only smile, memory already tattooed into every inch of him. "Always," he whispers, as if the streetlights couldn't hear his voice shake. 

* * *

**[Today, 9:45 AM]  
Konoha: **Yo, Bo! Found your cat in Fukurodani. I'd send him back but I doubt you're at home.

_Read at 2:05 PM._

**[Today, 2:05 PM]  
Konoha: ** Love definition is - strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties.

 **[Today, 2:06 PM]  
Konoha: **Oh, shit. I didn't mean to send that. But if you know, you know, you know?

 _Read at 2:06 PM._

  
.  
.  
.

 **[Today, 6:08 PM]  
Bokuto: **Yeah. I guess I do.


End file.
